Merz: nuclear deterrent must be strengthened

Berlin (dpa) - CDU leader Friedrich Merz has called for joint efforts to strengthen the nuclear deterrent in Europe. The CDU/CSU chancellor candidate told radio broadcaster Deutschlandfunk that in his view nuclear participation needed to be discussed with France and the United Kingdom to this end. 

Nuclear participation is part of NATO’s deterrence concept. This involves the USA giving certain NATO partners - including Germany - access to nuclear bombs in the event of war. The German armed forces - the Bundeswehr - has aircraft on hand to fly US nuclear bombs to their targets. 

Merz referred to talks about the nuclear deterrent with France’s President Emmanuel Macron. “We first want to align our views,” Merz said. “We should also involve the United Kingdom. We still have two nuclear powers in Europe. They are France and the United Kingdom.” He went on to say that the talks should always be conducted from the viewpoint of complementing the American nuclear shield, “which of course we also want to see maintained”. 

Merz made it clear that Germany would “not be able or allowed to possess its own nuclear weapons”, explaining that there were at least two treaties that prohibited Germany from doing this, including the Two Plus Four Agreement from 1990. “In it, Germany explicitly renounced possessing its own nuclear weapons, and this will not change.”